​Maciejak V

TO: Proximity Social Networking Team
FROM: Victoria Maciejak
SUBJECT: SFC article on social networking apps
DATE: February 2, 2010

We were asked to analyze a blog post or news item to help us prepare Proximity's spring focus group. Below is my summary of a San Francisco Chronicle article on the increasing popularity of social networking apps on mobile phones. I suggest we create questions designed to ask Towson students if they are downloading these apps.

What the iPhone App Store Provides
Social networking applications such as facebook and twitter have risen in popularity. They are available for both PC and smartphones and research has shown that the frequency of use is about equal on both platforms. The average social networking session on an iPhone lasts about an hour. Social networking apps are projected to be the most popularly downloaded apps this year. The popularity of social networking games such as Mafia Wars or Farmville has also increased drastically. Versions of these games are offered on both the computer and on mobile phones.

Why Social Networking Apps are important


People can update information or access it on the go. Using your phone, you can look up information stored on these social networking sites. Customers can even download and play social networking games.

Questions for the focus group
- Do you have a phone that allows you to access social networking?
- Do you use social networking sites on your PC? On your phone?
- Would you pay to use a social networking site?
- Do you play social networking games?
- Do you pay to play, or collect free participation coins?
- What is your favorite social networking site?
- About how much time a day do you spend social networking?
- What do you mainly use social networking for?

Kaneshige, T. (Photographer). (2010). Iphone in 2010: mobile commerce and social
networking star
. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/01/26/urnidgns852573C400693880002576B7006C2645.DTL